The following is a guest column from David Hunt of Cardus.Are schools safe? Even as schools reopened this week, that question remains front of mind. .While those not returning to the classroom cite their deep concerns around physical safety and the risk of disease transmission, the health officials who advised the reopening emphasized the social determinants of health, along with the emotional and mental well-being of students. .Both perspectives have considerable merit..But safety is about more than physiology. It’s also about students’ psychological and relational needs. A just-released study conducted immediately prior to the COVID lockdown, Who Chooses Alberta Independent Schools and Why, explores what drives many families to seek alternatives to their designated government-run, district school..Alberta independent school parents seek, above all else, a supportive and nurturing school environment for their children. .Their second – and closely related – priority is school safety..The pan-Canadian research study of 1,357 parents, Who Chooses Independent Schools and Why, finds the same top-two reasons in British Columbia and Ontario, as well..And in all three provinces, safety means not only the absence of schoolyard bullies but also trust in teachers, staff, and curriculum. .Presumably, teachers know this, which is why they are so much more likely to send their own kids to an.independent school..This is not a bad thing..When children’s basic human needs, like safety, are unmet in district schools, parents rightly seek out other options..Today, independent schools educate more than 33,000 children in Alberta. And enrollment has grown 50 percent over the last 25 years..Despite some financial support from the province, 88 per cent of Alberta independent school families have nevertheless made financial sacrifices to afford tuition. For nearly one out of every four such families, this has been a major sacrifice like downsizing their home, changing jobs, working multiple jobs, or taking out a loan..And, no, these families are not wealthy. Most of them earn less than other Alberta couple-family households. This is consistent with previous research, which – using Ministry of Education and Statistics Canada data – found that Alberta’s average after-tax family income for non-elite independent school households is below even the average public school family in the province. .For context, over 80 per cent of Alberta independent schools are non-elite. By and large, these schools are operated by non-profit organizations or charities. .So, it is the rare independent school family that fits the conventional ‘elite’ stereotype. Even their occupations are what sociologists would consider middle class. They are considerably more likely than Albertans aged 25 to 64 to be teachers, farmers, and nurses..But they are better educated. In Alberta, BC, and Ontario, think tank Cardus has found independent school parents are far more likely to have a bachelor’s degree, as well as to have earned advanced credentials..They prize education, but interestingly, when selecting from a long list of reasons for choosing their child’s independent school, few mark academics as a high priority..For most families, independent schools are not about academic advantage, career preparation, or accessing high society..Alberta parents who choose independent schools want a school they can trust to be a nurturing community that instills confidence and character in students, while matching their deepest pedagogical, philosophical, and religious convictions..If COVID has exposed anything, it is that being human is about more than physiology. To be human is to pursue meaning and belonging. .This is what independent schools are about. It’s also why they deserve continued support from the public, the politicians, and the pedagogues as valuable contributors to public education..David Hunt is education program director at think tank Cardus and author of Who Chooses Alberta Independent Schools and Why
